A Different Decision
by BraveDude8
Summary: What if instead of leaving Alagaesia, Eragon remained?
1. Chapter 1 - And most likely the last

**After I read Inheritance, I was a bit annoyed with the ending, so I decided to change it in this fanfic.**

Continued from 'Pieces on A Board' in Inheritance

_More than ever, Eragon felt drawn to her. The exchange of names had formed a bond between them, but of what sort he was unsure, and his uncertainty left him with a sense of vulnerability. She had seen him with all of his flaws and she had not recoiled, but had accepted him as he was, even as he accepted her. Moreover, she had seen in his name the depth of his feelings for her, and that too had not driven her away._

END OF INHERITANCE TEXT

The only thing ruining this was the revelation he had to tell her, that he, Saphira and the Eldunari had decided to raise the Dragon Riders across the great ocean, outside of Alagaesia.

They sat there for a time, enjoying each other's company while Eragon desperately tried to summon up the courage to talk to her. However, he felt an old and powerful mind enter his, and judging from Arya's sudden stiffness, she had as well. He also felt Saphira and Fírnen's minds through his mental link with Saphira.

'_Glaedr_'? Eragon thought? '_Correct._' Glaedr rumbled. '_Myself and the other Eldunari have been examining your memories, as well as Saphira's, from the trip to the Vault of Souls._' His voice became tinged with triumph. '_And I believe we may have discovered a way to reverse the destruction wrought by Thuviel during the battle on Vroengard._' Eragon and Arya's mouths both fell open in surprise, and through their mental link, they felt their dragons shock as well.

'_Ebrithil, may I ask how you gained access to our memories?_' said Eragon.

'I showed them to the Eldunari the day after you returned,' said Saphira, with the mental equivalent of a grin. Eragon thought he heard a laugh from Arya, but when he looked over, she looked solemn as usual.

'_Glaedr-elda, does this mean we would be able to raise the dragons & Riders on Vroengard?_' questioned Arya.

'_Exactly. We are not certain, but there is no risk in trying it out, and seeing if we can reverse those spells and make Vroengard fit for human habitation again. Whenever the four of you are ready, we can leave for Vroengard and set about repairing this horrible disaster, and with the help of the dwarves, the original stonemasons, rebuild.' _He withdrew from their minds, leaving them alone on the lakefront.

'Eragon…' Said Arya. 'You were planning on leaving Alagaësia, weren't you?'

Eragon's eyes widened. 'How did you know?' He exclaimed.

'Saphira told me a few days ago. I asked why you seemed a bit downcast recently, and she told me about your decision to leave. I… would have missed you Eragon.' Said Arya, looking down.

'And I you Arya.' Replied Eragon.

She blushed, and replied, 'I know you would have.' and placed an arm around his waist. He looked down in surprise, but at a nod of Arya's head, pulled her gently towards him, and put his arm round her shoulders, leaning back against a tree.

'This may seem like a strange question, but what are we going to do about our… relationship?' said Eragon hesitantly. Arya looked troubled for a second.

'Honestly, I'm not sure if we even can be together. You, the leader of the riders, and myself, the queen of the Elves. If we were together, then the Riders would not be impartial, like they used to be, and would give people reason to claim that they are biased in their dealings. I just don't know…' said Arya in a depressed tone.

'Arya,' said Eragon, 'I know that you have rejected me in the past, but I can't stop thinking about you, ever since I found you at Gil'ead. Please, just think about it.'

Arya looked at him, 'Wiol ono.'

She thought back to the first time she and Eragon met, and examined her feelings for him, and how he felt towards her. No matter where she looked, all she could feel in him was longing for… her, she realised in surprised. What surprised her even more was that looking back, she could also feel her love for him in the memories. She had began to suppress her emotions, because she had thought that Eragon would be leaving her, but now that she was almost certain he would not, she allowed those emotions to come back, tenfold, and almost gasped at the relief it gave her. She glanced over at Eragon, who had a worried expression on his face, but seeing the desperation there gave her the courage to make her choice.

She placed her arm round the back of his neck, pulled him towards her and kissed him on the lips. Eragon was so shocked, he almost fell over, and then put his other arm around her, savouring the moment. They broke away, and lay down next to each other in the shade of the tree with their arms around each other, murmuring their love to each other and slowly falling into the dreamless sleep of the elves.

As they were sleeping, Saphira & Fírnen were flying overhead, and spotted them. They carefully landed nearby and, upon observing their riders sleeping together, made the dragon equivalent of a laugh and settled down next to them, shielding them from the elements with their wings.

'_It's nice to see them finally relaxing with each other._' Saphira thought sleepily.

'_Agreed_,' said Fírnen in his bass tone. '_I know from Arya's and Eragon-partner-of-your-heart's memories that they have "danced around each other" for many months, never making any decisions_.'

'_Eragon has matured enough in the recent months for Arya to feel like they can be together,_' explained Saphira.

_'Even so, Arya is normally very closed to others. This is indeed strange behaviour for her._' stated Firnen

_'I wonder what changed…_' Saphira wondered, drifting off to sleep next to Fírnen, who snorted, and fell asleep as well, all four of them looking forward to the next day.

**So, how was it? Please tell me if any of the characters are OOC, and reviews, as well as tips, are always welcome! This is my first story, so be nice :P**


	2. Chapter 2 - A personal message

So, here I am. A year later, looking back. And all I can say is.

DAYUM!

Over one thousand people have looked at my shoddy attempt at a fanfiction. Ten of you have reviewed it, fourteen have saved it as a favourite. Not really sure what to say for this, except thank you. And it shows how much of a nitpicker that I am that after re-reading I realised I didn't put the dragon's text in italics. Sh*t.

But seriously, thank you guys so much. Thank you.

BraveDude8.


End file.
